Quick Take
- Reaper Actual enters testing with 200-player servers and Etherlink Web3 integration
- Immutable rewards IMX stakers with $END token as Treeverse prepares ecosystem rollout
- Raini and Gala restructure token models amid shutdowns, burns, and community backlash
Web3 Gaming Opens July With High Stakes, Token Shifts, and Controversy
The first week of July brought sharp moves across the Web3 gaming space. Token models were restructured, airdrops scaled up, and long-dormant titles returned to the spotlight. Gala Games drew heavy criticism over leadership comments, Immutable rewarded its early holders, and Raini pivoted to a burn-based economy. With MMOFPS action from Reaper Actual and new Steam launches gaining ground, player activity is rising again across chains like Ronin, Arbitrum, and Etherlink.
1. Reaper Actual Brings Back MMOFPS Ambition
Former Sony Online Entertainment devs revealed Reaper Actual, a large-scale MMOFPS under Distinct Possibility Studios. The title features 200-player servers, dynamic AI, and persistent base-building mechanics. It runs on Unreal Engine 5 and uses a director AI system called Cerberus to drive real-time encounters.
Steam and Epic versions will offer a standard experience. Web3 elements will only appear in a version integrated with Etherlink, Tezos’ gaming-focused Layer 2. Item ownership and trading, including weapons and bases, will be available for those who opt into the onchain version.
The project secured $30.5 million in funding from Bitkraft and Brevan Howard Digital. Early access under the Foundation phase begins this month.
2. Immutable Hits NYSE, Pushes $END Drop
Immutable co-founder Robbie Ferguson appeared live on NYSE TV, calling games the primary entry point to blockchain. The company’s ecosystem now includes over 625 titles in development and continues to attract Web2 publishers like Ubisoft and Netmarble.
On June 30, Immutable announced a $END token drop to wallets holding 1,000 or more IMX. The token will serve as the premium currency for Treeverse, supporting cosmetics, events, and cross-title features. A total of 1 million $END will be distributed in two phases—immediately after TGE and three months later.
$END will launch on Ethereum and Immutable zkEVM with a circulating supply of 155.5 million. Most of the supply is reserved for community rewards.
The project also secured $30.5 million in funding from Bitkraft and Brevan Howard Digital.
3. Gala CEO Draws Backlash Over Node Holder Comments
Tensions flared in the Gala Games community after CEO Eric Schiermeyer responded to a node operator struggling with rising costs by saying, “It sucks that you can’t be counted on to help take us to the promised land.” The user had reportedly spent over $300,000 on Gala NFTs but could no longer afford the $GALA needed to keep their founder’s nodes online. The exchange spread quickly across Discord and X, drawing criticism from content creators and former Gala staff.
Jason Brink, Gala’s former blockchain lead, called for better leadership and community support, while others pointed to long-standing concerns over communication and asset utility. The incident follows a difficult quarter for Gala, including the shutdown of The Walking Dead: Empires, declining token performance, and ongoing disputes tied to past partnerships. Confidence in Gala’s ecosystem remains shaky as players await updates on Mirandus and Champions Arena.
4. Raini Shuts Down Lords of Light, Overhauls $RST
Raini Studios confirmed the shutdown of Raini: The Lords of Light, with $RST emissions ending and a deflationary model taking over. All future burns will be revenue-driven through two new games: Lucha Throwdown and Uncaged, the latter featuring MMA fighter Jon Jones.
The studio reported that 137 million $RST tokens have already been burned. Supply is now effectively capped, with just 6.1 percent remaining for potential inflation—none of which will be unlocked.
The update marks a shift away from emissions-based play-to-earn and toward capped-supply models tied to real economic output.
5. More Crypto Games Go Offline
Ember Sword, Nyan Heroes, and Walking Dead: Empires have all confirmed shutdowns in recent months. Together, these titles had millions in funding, live token economies, and early access builds.
Nyan Heroes, once backed by a major esports partnership, collapsed in May. The NYAN token has lost more than 95 percent of its value. Ember Sword, after raising funds and launching a land sale in 2021, failed to secure additional investment to continue. Walking Dead: Empires will go offline July 31 after struggling with retention despite its licensed IP.
Each closure reflects larger trends across the space: rising costs, slower player adoption, and unsustainable presale-driven funding.
6. Pixcape Sells Out Genesis Pass Mint
Pixcape sold out its 777-supply Genesis Pass NFT mint on OpenSea, with post-mint floor prices climbing to 0.0393 ETH. The pass grants access to early drops, exclusive weapons, and upcoming governance rights.
Their browser-based MMORPG, Hive Invasion, recently hosted a playtest with over 27,700 players logging 800,000 minutes of gameplay. Pixcape is backed by a grant from Somnia and is building toward a multichain game ecosystem with onchain progression and lore-based rewards.
7. Somnia Taps Google Cloud for AI NPCs and Security
Layer 1 gaming chain Somnia announced a partnership with Google Cloud at ETHCC. The deal makes Google a validator on the network and integrates services like BigQuery, Pub/Sub, and Mandiant security.
Somnia claims throughput above 1 million TPS and plans to use Google’s AI tools to power responsive NPCs, AI traders, and player behavior analysis. The chain has now logged over 1 billion testnet transactions and supports more than 60 games, including Sparkball and Maelstrom.
Mainnet rollout is expected later this summer.
8. Immutable Highlights Seven New Games
Immutable showcased a new slate of Web3 titles, with genres ranging from MMORPGs to hyper-casual mobile. Key projects include:
- Project Origin, a faction-based MMO with tradable land and the $ROUGE token
- Whispers of Decay, a shooter blending sci-fi horror and onchain character development
- Savage Tale, a roguelite with tower-climbing mechanics and creature NFTs
- Stoopid Cats, a mobile brand mixing casual games and Web3 loot
- Flagm8, a territory-based strategy game with real-time browser play
- EduShift, an edtech initiative integrating onchain credentials
- Broadside: Battle Mode, a UGC-focused action sandbox tied to real-world conservation
9. OTG Node Prices Collapse as $GUN Falls
Validator nodes for Off The Grid, the cyberpunk battle royale by Gunzilla, have dropped 30 to 60 percent in resale value. $GUN is down 76 percent from its peak since the TGE. Common nodes once priced at $2,000 now sell for as low as $700.
Confusion around node utility and delayed marketplace access has sparked sell-offs. Developer updates say rewards are tied to gameplay and secondary market resales, not passive token emissions. OpenSea integration is now live, and the team expects improved liquidity with the full game launch.
10. Ubisoft Adds AI Agents to Governance in Laserhawk
Ubisoft launched a new governance system in Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E., where NFT-linked AI agents vote on behalf of inactive players. Each Niji Warrior NFT includes an agent with onchain memory and behavioral traits derived from metadata.
The system runs within Eden Online, the game’s Web3 governance layer. Ubisoft says players can override agents at any time, and all actions are logged transparently through Aleph Cloud. Future updates will tie combat performance to governance participation.
The feature is now live and expanding in the next seasonal content drop.
11. Star Atlas Hits Record Token Locking
Star Atlas reported its highest-ever token retention rate, with 2.1 billion ATLAS locked during Q2. Daily emissions grew 41 percent, while swapping rates remained low, signaling increased holder confidence.
Fleet rentals and crafted ship earnings expanded, and free-to-play Holosim reached 36 percent of the game’s mainnet player base. Overall GDP declined this quarter but began recovering by June. DAO governance, tied to locked POLIS tokens, remains active with proposal participation and transparent voting protocols.
12. Gotchi Guardians Launches on Steam
Pixelcraft Studios launched Gotchi Guardians on Steam. The 8-player tower defense roguelite features cross-platform play, boss waves, and PvP sabotage mechanics. Cosmetic Aavegotchi skins and $GHST purchases are available through Base and Xsolla.
Players can earn rewards through seasonal leaderboards and clip contests. The game had previously been available in browser and now enters its full release window for Q3 2025.
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Thanks for the update <3
Awesome update! I need more like this it’s hard to keep up.
Let’s go! When is the next one coming up
Yooo! the reaper actual game looks nice still looks early though
I gotta say im loving these updates every week. Keep them coming!
Honestly after seeing what Smedley had to say about the project recently im not too impressed.